CONCUSSION DISCUSSION: How do local football coaches, parents react to recent NFL study?

Thursday

Aug 3, 2017 at 6:21 PMAug 3, 2017 at 7:11 PM

The statistics are staggering, and young, healthy football players are walking away from the game in the prime of their careers.

Mike Thomas Herald News Sports Editor

FALL RIVER – The statistics are staggering, and young, healthy football players are walking away from the game in the prime of their careers.

Concussion talk has been a hot topic in the National Football League recently after a recent study showed that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE, was found in 99% of deceased NFL players' brains. In short, a neuropathologist examined the brains of 111 NFL players – and 110 were found to have CTE.

Two days after that study was released, John Urschel, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, retired from the NFL at age 26. According to a New York Times story, The Baltimore Sun and ESPN, citing anonymous sources with the Ravens, said his retirement was related to the study.

Urschel isn't alone. There have been several other young players – San Francisco's Chris Borland, Buffalo's A.J. Tarpley, to name a couple – who have simply decided to hang up their cleats to preserve their health.

So what affect, if any, does all this concussion discussion have on local football, particularly at the youth and high school levels?

“My wife and I are concerned, but not concerned enough to not let them play," said Gerald Nientimp, who has two sons, Benjamin, 9, and Samuel, 7, who play American Youth Football for the Fall River Falcons.

“I don’t want it to be our decision what they play," said Mary Nientimp, Gerald's wife. "We want to give them the opportunity make their own decisions.”

The Fall River Falcons, under the direction of league president Ron 'Bear' Gagnon, have concussion protocols in place, and the league has taken all the proper steps, including upgrading equipment and limiting contact drills in practice, to keep their players as safe as possible.

"Every coach in our program, not just the head coach, has to take a concussion course," Gagnon said. "We have an athletic trainer at the games. We've upgraded our equipment. Bay Coast Bank gave us a $4,000 grant to buy new helmets. We're trying to phase out the old helmets. The shape and technology has improved, to the point where to can put in or take out air to make them fit properly. We're taking all the necessary steps to make these kids as safe as possible."

“I have no concerns," said Rosi Strong, mother of Kelvyn Strong 13, and Keith Strong, 11, both in the Fall River Falcons program. "My husband is one of the coaches and I know they have to take an online test. They put the players in the best position so they don’t get hurt. They know what’s going on.

“My kids never got a concussion in football, but one of them got one playing baseball.”

George Yentz, the football coordinator with the Falcons who is entering his 15th year with the program, says concussions are far from common in the league.

"For us, they have been very minimal," he said. "We've had more ankle injuries than concussions."

At the high school level, the mindset appears to be the same as that of the AYF – cautious but not pushing the panic button.

"You're never going to take concussions out of the game," said Anthony Palladino, head football coach at Case High School. "The worst thing you can do is hide from it and not deal with it. No coach wants to put a kid in a bad position. You never want to see a kid get hurt. We're taking the steps to help make it safer. We have less contact during practice. We have new tackling bags that simulate moving targets. We teach taking the head out of tackling."

Although Palladino has seen those NFL concussion statistics, he said comparing the big boys to those in high school or in youth football, just isn't fair.

"In the NFL, you have the top one percent of the athletes in the world," said Palladino. "You have 350-pound freak athletes and when you have 22 freak athletes going at each other in a violent sport, it can be tough. At our level, you don't see nearly the same type of collisions."

Palladino also said the officiating at the high school level has helped make the game safer.

"I guarantee you there were more leading with the head penalties last year than the year before," he said. "It's a focal point for the referees, too."

Gerald Nientimp said he was watching ESPN with his son Benjamin recently when Ben began to cry.

“We sit and watch ESPN together all the time," the father said. "He had tears in his eyes the other day, saying he wanted to play but didn’t want to get a concussion. I told him daddy will keep an eye out for him.

“If he were to get one, we’ll monitor it. If he were to get a second one, we’ll take him out. I think he’d be done.

“I want to enjoy my children. I’d rather see them do better in school than do better in sports. The chances of them playing in the pros aren’t very good.”

As the Falcons prepare for their 30th season this year, Mary Nientimp said she is ready to watch her sons play football, despite those NFL concussion studies.

“I’ll be a little nervous, but I’ll be OK,” she said.

Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. Follow him on Twitter @NostraThomasHN